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April 2015
Housing
T
he R10 million project is well
located on the Rea Vaya Rapid
Transit node, as well as the
Johannesburg train station. Europa
now offers communal living for fami-
lies as well as individuals. Room sizes
vary from 12m² to 22m² and rentals
range fromR840 to R1 540 per month
depending on the size of the unit.
Each floor provides separate ablution
facilities and a communal kitchen.
The residential building has biomet-
ric access, 24 hour security and an
energy efficient generator.
“Refurbishment of Europa House
is a great step in enhancing the image
of the inner city since the surrounding
buildings are dilapidated and con-
tribute to the current state of urban
decay. JOSHCO’s primary objective is
to transform the lives of their tenants
by providing quality accommodation
that is sustainable and energy effi-
cient. It further contributes through
its repossession and refurbishment
of ‘bad buildings’ in the city,” said the
MMC of Housing, Dan Bovu.
Tenants are screened and vetted
through the social housing provider’s
application process and according
to a set criteria. First time tenants
are required to attend compulsory
workshops on the tenants’ rights,
obligations and responsibilities.
JOSHCO offers affordable and
secure home rentals for citizens who
earn between R3 500 and R7 500 per
month. Those in this income bracket
do not qualify for fully subsidised gov-
ernment housing nor do they qualify
for mortgage bonds.
As part of the inner city regen-
eration Better Buildings Programme,
JOSHCO has taken over the manage-
New social
rental
stock
Johannesburg Social Housing
C omp a n y ( J OS HCO ) h a s
converted Europa House at 32
Plein Street, Johannesburg, from
a 10-storey commercial block
into 168 communal rooms with
shared bathrooms and kitchens.
ment of several buildings in the in-
ner city of Johannesburg in the past
eight years. The buildings have been
refurbished into quality communal
rental accommodation suitable for
the lower income group. Communal
rental housing provides cost effective
accommodation, where the costs
of development are minimised by
providing rental rooms with shared
bathrooms, laundries and kitchens.
JOSHCO, a City of Johannesburg
owned entity, has received an un-
qualified audit over the past eight
years (and a clean audit over the last
six years). The social housing provider
has invested over R1,8 billion towards
making Johannesburg a more live-
able city. It has a portfolio of over
7 500 social housing units, with plans
to increase this number to 13 600 by
June 2017.
The Europa project team included:
Project managers: Hoboyi & Associ-
ates; Architects: Activate Architects;
Quantity surveyors: Enumerate Con-
sulting; Mechanical and electrical
engineer: Lebone Consulting En-
gineers; Structural engineer: Allan
Sutton Consulting; Safety consultant:
Empowerisk Safety Consultants;
Fire consultants: Specialised Fire
Technology; and Contractor: LeMay
Construction.
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